There are two ways you can look at the fact we no longer have a Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra.
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Recently re-elected Member for Kiama Gareth Ward was promoted into Premier Gladys Berejiklian's new cabinet and the parliamentary secretary roles for regions like the Illawarra and the Hunter were scrapped. In response to that there are two schools of thought.
One would be that as a Minister in the NSW Government, whatever the portfolio, Mr Ward will have far more power and ability to influence issues that impact this region than he ever would have before.
The alternative argument is that the scrapping of such a role leaves the region vulnerable and without someone in the government completely focused on the issues which confront it.
The colour of your political inclinations probably depends in which school of thought you end up in. Interestingly, the Member for Keira Ryan Park has been vocal in criticising the move.
Yet in 2015, when Gareth Ward was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary, the Illawarra Mercury reported Mr Park, bemoaning then the position was not a ministerial role, suggested you needed to be at the cabinet table to influence key decisions. Well, it's a different role, but that's exactly what has happened.
An Opposition's job of course is to argue the alternative position of the government more often than not, no matter what that might be. One could sensibly mount an argument that with Mr Ward now in the cabinet the regional is actually better off than it was before. Ultimately, only time will tell.
Regardless, it is highly unlikely to be a case that Mr Ward will get lost in his portfolio and lose sight of the region.
One thing that has been well proven over time is Mr Ward's work ethic. That could never be questioned.
It is now up to Mr Ward to show he can be an even more effective member for this region as a minister, no matter his portfolio and undoubtedly this masthead and his political opponents will be making sure that does indeed happen.